Brig. Gen. Michael T. McGinley is the Mobilization Assistant to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for assisting the Military Deputy in leading research and development, test, production, product support and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $60 billion annually.
Brig. Gen. McGinley also created and serves as the Director of the GigEagle Agile Talent Ecosystem Initiative, where he leads America’s first artificial intelligence-driven, national-security talent ecosystem initiative.
Most recently, Brig. Gen. McGinley served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, playing a key role in leading total life cycle management of aircraft, engines, munitions, electronic, computer, network, cyber and agile combat support systems. Previously, he launched and led the Defense Innovation Unit’s Boston operations and employing Other Transaction Authority, served as the Innovation Advisor at SAF/AQ, and led an advanced technology team at USCYBERCOM. He is a Level III, Joint Qualified Officer.
Brig. Gen. McGinley is a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with Distinction and Highest Honors. He earned his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Managing Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal. Before being recalled to active duty to serve at DIU, he practiced law, specializing in cybersecurity and international financial sanctions. He is currently an executive at a global technology company.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Highest Honors), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1998 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2001 Language and Foreign Area Studies Immersion, Málaga, Spain
2003 Master of Public Administration, Auburn University, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
2013 Outstanding Graduate, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (Hybrid), Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2021 High Potentials Leadership Program, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Mass.
2022 Middle East and South Asia Seminar, Washington, D.C.
2022 China and Indo-Pacific Command Seminar, Washington, D.C.
2023 Artificial Intelligence for National Security Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
2023 Continuous Improvement and Innovation Executive Course, Durham, N.C.
2024 Leadership for the 21st Century, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1998–August 1998, Student, Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2. August 1998–September 2000, Command and Control Combat Systems Test Manager, Test and Evaluation Directorate, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
3. October 2000–July 2001, Deputy Program Manager, Joint Precision and Approach Landing System, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
4. July 2001–November 2003, Training Commander, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
5. November 2003–July 2006, Flight Commander, Squadron Officer College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. August 2006–August 2009, Chief, Acquisition of Services, Program Executive Office for SATCOM, Teleport, and Services, Defense Information Systems Agency, Arlington, Va.
7. August 2009–March 2014, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director, Air Force Reserve Policy Integration Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. April 2014–August 2016, Joint Cyber Planner, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
9. August 2016–October 2020, Director, Defense Innovation Unit Boston, Boston, Mass.
10. November 2020–January 2022, Innovation Advisor to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. February 2022–June 2024, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. July 2024–February 2025, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
13. March 2025–present, Mobilization Assistant to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 2014–August 2016, Joint Cyber Planner, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort George G. Meade, Md., as a lieutenant colonel
2. August 2016–October 2020, Director, Defense Innovation Unit Boston, Boston, Mass., as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Connecticut Bar (Active); Washington, D.C. Bar (Inactive); Pennsylvania Bar (Inactive)
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) Bar
New England Super Lawyers Rising Star: 2014, 2015, 2016
2024 Distinguished Award for Excellence in Emerging Technology, AFCEA International
2024 TEDxDAU Speaker
2025 Federal 100 Award
2025 Flywheel Award for Innovation in Emerging Technology
(Current as of April 2025)